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Podcast API

1 post · Feb 2020

What this trail covers

Spotify's Podcast API has been launched to third-party developers, allowing them to manage user podcast libraries, search the catalog, and fetch detailed show/episode information. The API design considered backward compatibility with existing endpoints (like the Player API), consistency with other Spotify Web APIs (error codes, auth, payloads), app terminology, and payload verbosity. The API is monitored using Grafana and Lightstep, with alerts triggering PagerDuty for outages. Prior to public launch, a select group of partners provided feedback to refine the design and onboarding experience, with a focus on clear technical documentation.

All Spotify trails
  1. Spotify’s New Podcast API: From Design to LaunchThis post details the design and launch of Spotify's new Podcast API for third-party developers. Key technical considerations included: backward compatibility with existing endpoints (e.g., Player API query parameter for podcast playback), consistency with other Spotify Web APIs (error codes, request/response formats, authentication), alignment with in-app terminology, and managing payload verbosity (simplified vs. detailed episode objects). The API is monitored using Grafana and Lightstep, with alerts integrated with PagerDuty. The development process involved internal dogfooding, early partner feedback for refinement, and a focus on clear technical documentation.